Please help me decide which of these methods to use for RATS

[Wickedchicken6]

Quote: That's awesome!! I used to weld in school too but I never continued using the skill because we had family members who welded. The guys used to hog the welder so I didn't get as much time with it...but I had one of the nicest, clean beads on my welded items...lol.

 

[Flock Master64]

This is my latest project

 

[Little Fuzzy]

I agree the rats are much smarter than the mice. They wouldn't go in my electric trap either.

 

[Little Fuzzy]

I think I would bait the trapped rat with poison then wait till he died, then you don't have to worry about secondary poisoning.

 

[myback40]

Wicked chicken,

Thank you so much for taking the time to elaborate! It is incredibly kind of you. Chicken people are the best!

Graphic indeed, but I did appreciate your descriptions and the picture. I am actually pretty heartless about the killing, but the thought of the suffering just melts my resolve. I had pet mice as a child, which look enough like rats to get my sympathy.

A final question, for you or anyone who cares to comment...

If I abandon the drowning idea, and decide on the pellet rifle, would it work to live-trap them in a garbage can (36-40" tall?) with food in the bottom. This worked for mice last year (in a smaller trash can) because it was just tall enough to prevent them jumping out. I had been relocating them to a field a quarter mile away, but was told they were probably all coming back anyway. (And, really, who wants to walk your mice out every day?) For mice under the house I switched to a Victor Electronic Multikill and I still get 1-4 mice every night, at which rate I might outrun their birthrate in 2018? But I digress... How high can rats jump? Or perhaps I need to add a lid and put a small (maybe 1 1/4") hole in the lid -- hence they'll be tempted in but cannot jump out. Then I could open it and shoot them? Or place a screen on top and shoot them?

Thanks so much for everyone's ideas and knowledge!

 

[myback40]

Flock master,

That's intriguing!

 

[myback40]

I think I would bait the trapped rat with poison then wait till he died, then you don't have to worry about secondary poisoning.

I believe it takes 3-4 days. Agonizing days. Per rat. So for my situation I don't think poison is going to be an option. But thanks!

 

[Wickedchicken6]

Flock Master 64 - That reminds me of the doorbell I soldered in science class.
I wanted to use it in my house...but I forgot about it when we were building it until it was too late.

myback40 - To be honest, I'm not sure how high a rat can jump. The only thing I know is that they can't climb smooth plastic or metal. And that as fast as a mouse is...a rat is that much faster. Ugh!
I've seen You Tube videos on using a tube and a barrel or garbage can where the rats fall into it. But I'm sorry, I don't know the specific height on those.

We've had mice that fall into a five gallon pail and not be able to get out. I would "think" a 77 liter garbage can or bigger would be comparable so they couldn't get out. But that's strictly a guess. I've seen something for mice on You tube...it was a pail with mesh for sides and a small hole in the lid...and the mice just kept falling in.

I greatly dislike having to dispatch the animals I catch. For as harsh or generic as I may have made it sound...I usually cry every time I need to deal with the animals I catch. If not always for the rats, definitely for the raccoons and little foxes. It's definitely not something I look forward to.

Thank you for the info on the Victor Electronic multi-kill. I'm going to have to look into that!

We haven't used poison, I'm afraid the chickens will get into it. (they get into everything...lol)

 

[jools2014]

I have the same issue-no problem catching them at all in my humane trap (they can't resist snickers bars) I have even caught a couple when the trap wasn't even set or baited! There is a back way into the trap, basically one rat gets into the trap, eats the bait and brings the trap door down-then other rats are supposed to go in the back way because they see one rat in there-works as I have caught 3 at once sometimes. Anyway, either this rat could still smell the snickers bar in there so went in, or it just went in because I have it right against the wall where they always run along. i catch more than i ever used to, not sure if this is because they have gotten used to the trap being there so are not suspicious of it, or since i baited it with Snickers which they just love.

i had to let that one go because i have not figured out a way to kill them yet. As I already posted about in another thread-I am wanting to use an air rifle but it is not working right now (possibly I'm not using it right) I did consider drowning but people said it was inhumane (I had same issue as you-wanted to pick the most humane death)-I had pet rats and I hate to kill any creature, but there is nothing else that can be done with rats-it's bad to release them elsewhere, bad to not do anything etc. etc just can't win! Anyway, drowning is apparently not an acceptably humane method here in the UK so I think it might even be against the law, but I don't understand how poison can be allowed-surely that is far more inhumane? Wouldn't a drowning death be over in 2-3 minutes? Not pleasant but then what death is? Anyway, if i get the rifle working I will use that and let you know how it worked out-it seems like the best option.

 

[myback40]

The trick is to put peanut butter on the "stairs" as well, not just in the kill chamber.